The present invention relates generally to the field of breathing systems and, in its most preferred embodiment, to the field of apparatus and methods for providing a temporary, portable supply of breathable gas.
Each year many people become trapped in burning buildings, trapped under shallow water, trapped under snow, or encounter a situation in which they either cannot breath at all because no air is available or cannot breath normally because the available air is fouled with smoke, chemical fumes, or other harmful airborne agents. Unfortunately, a number of these individuals suffocate and die tragically from an insufficient supply of oxygen to their brain. Other individuals die subsequently due to injuries to their lungs or brain caused by breathing unhealthy air. Still other individuals suffer life-long, chronic injuries to their lungs or brain caused by breathing smoke or inhaling toxic chemical fumes and not enough oxygen.
In many situations, death or serious injury could be avoided if the trapped victim had a readily accessible temporary (i.e., several minutes) supply of breathable gas available. Regrettably, many of today's temporary air supply devices include bulky air tanks, hoses, and masks and are simply too heavy and cumbersome to carry along, for instance, on kayaking or skiing runs. Furthermore, many victims need their hands free to aid in extricating themselves or cannot use their hands due to injury. As a result, many of today's temporary air supply devices are useless because their air supplies cannot be accessed without the use of the victim's hands. For example, white water kayakers are often flipped over in their boats and become stuck upside down under shallow water while racing down a stream. To turn his boat upright, the kayaker must have his hands free to manipulate his paddle or to push off of rocks and other stable objects and does not have his hands available to strap on a mask or turn on a valve as required by many air supply devices. In other situations, the killed or injured individual is a rescuer trying to extricate a victim who has become trapped or incapacitated. The rescuer may need only a few minutes of air to perform the rescue, but must have his hands free to safely remove the victim and cannot use his hands to initiate or continuously control the flow of air from a breathing device.
There is, therefore, a need in the industry for an apparatus and method which provides a temporary, "hands-free" supply of breathable gas to an individual and can solve other related and unrelated problems that become apparent upon reading and understanding this specification.